


Just one word

by ValkyrieShepard



Category: Snowpiercer (2013)
Genre: Fluff, Homeless AU, Homelessness, M/M, Smut, Wall Sex, abuse mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:43:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValkyrieShepard/pseuds/ValkyrieShepard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grey was fine on his own, even without a home. What he could never do was watch as someone else was mistreated. That's how he meets Curtis, and somehow they manage to stick together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just one word

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thing I wrote over the course of the day.

The homeless shelter was packed again tonight. It seemed that another wave of newcomers had arrived in the city, whether any of them stayed would show itself soon enough. For now Grey kept his eyes open, and shuffled dutifully in the line to get himself a much needed bit of hot soup.

He saw the usual types. Most, including himself, preferred to be on their own, keeping quiet to avoid any trouble or detection, others quickly formed groups to support each other and then… there were those that Grey had hope he had left behind when he left high school. Bullies that grouped together to take what others had earned, or simply hurt for their own pleasure. Tonight, unfortunately, a group just like that had formed.

Most people ignored what was happening in the very corner of the large hall, but Grey just couldn’t. Something in him snapped when he saw someone defenceless being abused. He supposed that very thing had snapped when his father had done it to him, the thing that had caused him to not speak since that day. He knew his vocal chords were fine, he wasn’t sick or anything like that… but he just couldn’t. But he had also given up on trying to speak a very long time ago. He made due.

He stormed out of the queue, his spot in it be damned, and instead rushed over to where four bullies, all built tall and broad had cornered an…. equally tall and broad person. What he could see from the guy was just his jacket with a dark flannel shirt underneath, he was making himself as small as he could and his woollen hat was pulled low, but Grey could still make out the dark beard he was sporting. If he had still been thinking rationally, he might have left well enough alone, as the guy looked like he could take care of himself… and yet he looked so vulnerable. With a build like that… why wasn’t he fighting back? Why was he just standing in the corner, turning his face and not even looking at them?

Grey burst through the line of bullies and stood in front of him, holding out his arms in a protective manner. He didn’t need to tell them to fuck off, he knew that his eyes conveyed everything those assholes needed to know.

“The fuck do you want, skinny brat?”

Ah, the leader, apparently. He focused on him, taking a step forward, arms still spread. He wondered how long it took for these brutes to realize that he couldn’t talk.

“What? Nothing to say?” The leader, a bald man with a coat that was even more threadbare than his own, stepped forward as well, but Grey didn’t falter. “Trying to protect your boyfriend?”

He could only roll his eyes. It was that way then, huh? People like this didn’t deserve the small chance he had given them. He darted forward with a speed neither of the four guys had expected, and a quick punch to the leader’s throat sent him gagging. Before the next one could rush in he had already kicked that one in the balls, and used the way he was leaning forward in pain to hit him in the side of the head. As he turned though, the third one got a hit in, and he felt his lower lip split open, felt a bit of blood dribble down his chin. If there was any pain, he didn’t feel it as the rage too over now and he ducked underneath the second blow and once more went for the throat, then followed up with a kick to the gut. One guy was left standing, he was charging towards him, evidently not smart enough to realize that he was better than all of them combined. Grey’s face was a mask as he ran towards him, but instead of going right for him, he took two steps up the wall, using his momentum, then twisted as he pushed off of it, wrapping his legs around the guy’s neck, and tightened them. He still struggled in the beginning, but Grey didn’t move, and didn’t loosen his grip. The guy stumbled, fell onto his knees, and only then did he let go. Immediately he was gasping for air, his hands on the floor in front of him as Grey stood on his own two feet again.

“F-freak”, the leader gasped, but didn’t make a move towards him, even flinched when Grey took a step forward. “Fine, be with your boyfriend, fag, I don’t care.”

Grey bared his no doubt bloody teeth, and the four of them scrambled away. He turned towards the guy they had been harassing now, and grabbed his chin, turning his head this way and that to inspect him.

“What the-?”, he mumbled, but didn’t flinch away.

Looking closer now, Grey realized he was… cute. In a very lumberjack sort of way, or perhaps it was the combination of the beard and the flannel shirt that made him think of one. There was a scar on his neck that he could just see the beginning of, and there was pain in his eyes that made him think ‘army vet’. Too many of those ended up on the streets, so it wasn’t unlikely.

He nodded, satisfied that he apparently hadn’t been hurt, and turned to go back to the queue that was now considerably shorter. He only hoped that there was still some food left when it was his turn, and he tried to wipe away the blood on his lips as much as he could without a mirror. Today’s soup was a broth with potatoes and assorted vegetables, and he sighed when he saw there was no meat in it. But it was a luxury they only rarely got. He still smiled at the cute white haired young man who sometimes helped out here, though he never got the name, it was hard for him to ask after all. Briefly he wondered what he thought of him, whether he thought Grey was shy. If he even thought of him. He quickly shook that train of thought, it wouldn’t lead anywhere.

Looking around the hall for a free space to sit, he decided it was probably best not to join the four guys that he had beaten up just now. Instead he walked over to his dude in distress and sat opposite him.

“I uh… hey”, he said to him, his elbows resting on the table as he put the spoon back into the bowl, the soup almost gone. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you so… thanks. I’m Curtis.”

Grey shrugged, and then nodded when he introduced himself.

“What uh…”, he hesitated, taken aback as everyone was when he didn’t answer. “What’s your name?”

Grey looked around the hall to find something that matched his name, and after a second realized that the table was indeed… grey. He tapped on it, looking at Curtis expectantly.

“Your name’s Grey?”

He couldn’t hold back the smile that was spreading on his face, a smile so wide it even hurt a little because of the small wound on his lip. But he didn’t mind, not at all. No one had ever picked up on him so quickly. He nodded enthusiastically in reply.

“Nice to meet you, Grey”, Curtis said, for a moment he was smiling too, and it struck him how adorable a large man like Curtis could look. “I’m er… new here. Tried to keep my head down.”

He rolled his eyes and tapped his temple, then nodded over to where the bullies were sitting.

“Yeah, they’re idiots”, Curtis chuckled.

It was silly, but that night seemed almost magical to Grey. It had been so long… no, he had never really talked to anyone before. To someone who was patient, who really paid attention to what he was trying to say. He even made Curtis laugh, and adored the way he did it. His low voice, the twinkle in his eyes… Grey found himself mesmerized. They even managed to get one of the desired spots in front of the TV, pressed close together on the armchair that was made for just one person.

Curtis didn’t seem to be the most talkative person, but it suited him, and the silence that settled between them after a while wasn’t uncomfortable. Grey took pride in the fact that he was able to read people, which he mostly used to avoid the ones that would be trouble, but with Curtis he could tell… He had a good heart. And before he knew it, his eyelids were drooping, his head falling onto Curtis’ shoulder, and finally he was greeted by the dark embrace of sleep.

When he woke up he realized Curtis had wrapped an arm around him, and somehow he had moved so that he was halfway in his lap, a more comfortable position than what they’d been in before. He tried to stretch as much as he could without waking him up, but quickly noticed that he was already awake. He smiled up at Curtis, and pointed at the door.

“Yeah, need to leave soon.”

Together they freshened up as much as possible, before leaving to get through another day. Grey had been all set on doing his own thing, despite being able to talk to Curtis. It was just easier on his own, but when they stood outside in the cold, Curtis just looked so… lost. And oddly like a puppy. He sighed, going through his coat pockets to find the last bit of paper that he still had left, and fished for the pencil that was barely a stub. He kept it for emergencies, and would have to spend precious food money, if he could get some, to buy more. He quickly scribbled what he wanted to say on the bit of paper that was still free, and handed it to Curtis.

_I’ll take care of you now._

Curtis stared at the little piece of paper, his hand suddenly shaking. He didn’t say anything. Was his writing too bad? He had to cramp it in a very tiny space, perhaps he couldn’t see…

He stepped forward, and now Curtis looked at him again, his eyes full of tears.

“Why would you-? You don’t know anything about me…”

Grey just shrugged. Whatever he may have done in the past, and Curtis did look like many things were haunting him, he knew he had a good heart. How could he…? Suddenly he got an idea, and tugged on Curtis’ sleeve to motion for him to follow. There was a restaurant nearby, one that he had only managed to be in once. He hadn’t been able to pay of course, and so he was now banned from entering again. But he loved watching, loved the smells that came from the kitchen, one that sometimes threw away perfectly good food.

He pointed at the menu that was taped to the glass front, and looked for his favourite dish. Tortellini with tomato sauce. Again, he pointed, and then rubbed his belly, making yummy noises.

“That’s your favourite food?”

Grey nodded, then pointed to Curtis and then the menu.

“Mine’s pizza with cheddar and ham and corn but…”, he hesitated, and then a small smile spread on his face. “You’re getting to know me.”

Again he nodded, wanting to jump for joy. He understood, Curtis just understood what he was trying to tell him. He was hopping up and down, and tugged on Curtis’ sleeve again, and once more he followed.

During the next few weeks Grey showed him around the city, stopping every now and then to get to know Curtis better. His likes, his dislikes, slowly and gently he was figuring out who this man was, and how he’d gotten here. In turn he showed parts of himself no one had seen in years, that no one had ever seen. It was easy with Curtis, who was the one person who seemed to completely understand him. They barely had any need for pen and papers. It was a luxury anyway, and they developed the habit of Grey writing in the palm of Curtis’ hand with his finger, drawing the letters on the soft skin if it was really necessary for him to use words.

They weren’t always so lucky when it came to finding a place in the shelters, but Grey knew enough abandoned buildings that they could spend the night in, and even if they did not, it was a lot easier to survive the night with someone he could share his body heat with.

Curtis was indeed an army veteran, as he found out. He’d come back to the States and hadn’t been able to get the support he needed, and slowly lost everything. In the end he took what little he had, and left, had come to this city that Grey called his home. He had never really trusted many people, not after he had run away from home and his father, but when weeks turned into months, and the two of them were still partners, he started to feel like he could trust Curtis.

When the temperatures started to rise again they started to frequent their abandoned house, the one that Curtis had accidentally called their home one time. They had gathered a few things that they hid in there, others they carried with them, and after getting a warm meal from the shelter they had been lucky enough to find a mattress that they’d been able to scavenge. After making sure it wasn’t infested with bugs they settled on it, Grey pressing close to his side and prompting Curtis to frown at him.

“Something wrong?”

Grey sighed, for once wishing that he could talk, it would make all this so much easier.

_I ran_ , he wrote in the palm of Curtis’ hand.

“From home?”

Grey nodded, and then continued.

_Dad hurt me_. He hesitated, his fingers shaking, and it was difficult to draw the next few letters. _Touched me_.

“What?” Curtis demeanour had changed, he was suddenly furious. “He raped you?”

Grey shook his head quickly, it hadn’t gone that far, he had run before it could happen. But whatever memories he had of his home weren’t happy ones.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so, so sorry.” Curtis pulled him into their very first proper hug, and Grey didn’t mind the faint scent of sweat. He didn’t smell any better, not that it mattered. He sighed against that strong chest, feeling so good in these arms that seemed to protect him from the world. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you again, I won’t go anywhere.”

_Promise?_

“I promise, Grey.” Curtis gave him one of his rare smiles, the wide one that made lines on the side of his eyes, the one that Grey loved so much. The one that made his heart skip a beat and his stomach lurch. Some time during those last few months he had fallen in love. How, he wasn't sure, he'd never been in love.

He pressed the tips of his fingers to his mouth, and moved them away again, the one thing he knew how to say in sign language. He had never been able to learn after all.

_Thank you._

"No... Thank you", Curtis said, sighing softly. "I didn't think that this... life, that my life could be good again. Sure it's not perfect, but you showed me what it could be. Thank you."

God damn this man was cute, and so honest, a quality that was very rare in this world. Grey now tapped his lips, and for the first time Curtis didn't understand, and just frowned at him. So he tapped Curtis' lips, then his own once more.

_Kiss me, damn it, kiss me._

It took him a few more moments before he finally understood. And then... he shook his head.

"You don't want this, kid."

Now it was Grey's turn to frown and he shook his head. He was fully aware how to express his displeasure just through his eyes, and by the shocked look on Curtis' face it worked.

_Not a kid_ , he wrote in the palm of his hand.

"Yeah I suppose you're not... Not out here." He looked at Grey, his eyes, then at his lips, and back up again. The desire was clear on his face, but it was more than that. He actually cared. "Do you really want this? You're young and I'm... not."

Shaking his head, he couldn't help but smile a little. Of course he was going to be worried about something like that. He tapped his lips again, then Curtis', then his own again. He didn't quite know why, but he wanted Curtis to initiate their first kiss. Then it would mean that he really wants it, and that he wasn't pushing him into anything.

Curtis seemed to think about it for a while, and his face became more expressive by the second, the mask he was wearing slowly crumbling away. He cared about Grey, he really, deeply cared. And suddenly he was leaning in, pressing his lips against Grey's, his beard tickling but it was overwhelmed by how good the kiss felt. Curtis' lips were a little rough, but then so were his own. He slipped into his lap, feeling Curtis' hands immediately on his own slender hips.

"Ah", he gasped into the kiss as he rolled his hips, feeling Curtis already get hard under the movement.

_More?_  he wrote into his palm, hoping Curtis would agree. For a second it didn't seem like it, but then Grey grinned, and rolled his hips again, and suddenly he stood, with him scrambling to do the same.

Curtis twirled them around and pressed him against the wall, another little moan escaping Grey's lips. He couldn't be loud, he just couldn't, in the same way that he couldn't bring himself to talk ever since his father tried to.... Grey shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought. Not now, not with Curtis.

"You okay, beautiful?", he asked, gently cupping his cheek.

Grey just nodded and smiled, a genuine smile. He loved that Curtis cared so much, he... loved him. The thought should be scary in the world that they lived in but he felt... happy, at peace.

A sudden thought occurred to him and he scrambled to go through his coat pockets. Where was it, where was it? He prayed to any gods that were willing that, yes- He twisted and turned the condom in his hands to see whether it was too old, but there, it was still good for a couple more months, and so was the bit of lube he still had. With a bright smile, he turned to hold both items up to give them to Curtis, who was slowly turning bright red. Which was adorable since they had been about to make love anyway. Grey hopped up, jumped a little before walking up to him again and peppering sweet kitten kisses all over his face, until the red went away again and Curtis started to chuckle. That low, throaty chuckle that went right to Grey's groin.

He stepped back again, and let his coat drop to the floor, followed quickly by his shirt, then his pants and the rest of his clothes. He revelled in the way Curtis looked at him, his pupils dilating with desire but unlike other encounters he'd had, the look wasn't scary on Curtis. Finally he stepped forward and unbuttoned the flannel shirt, revealing a well toned upper body, as strong as the rest of him.

"You have tattoos...", Curtis mumbled, staring at the vines and the words that flowed over his body as if they were alive. He'd had a friend for a while who could do this, with needles, instead of a machine, and it had hurt like nothing he'd ever experienced but just for this one look, it was worth it. "You are so, so beautiful, Grey."

Their eyes never once left each other as Grey kept undressing him, and finally they were standing naked in front of each other. Curtis slowly reached out for his hands, intertwining their fingers and watching it happen as if he weren't in control of his own actions, as if he experienced this for the very first time.

He pulled back one hand, to draw a little heart on Curtis' chest, making him laugh. But Grey shook his head, he didn't mean it like that. He focused on Curtis' eyes, trying to show how serious he was as he drew the heart again. Curtis' smile slowly faded as he realized what he meant.

"Are you serious?"

He nodded in reply, not looking away, although his heart beat rapidly in his chest now. He hadn't meant to confess, not yet, it just happened.

"Me too." And suddenly he was kissing him again, more forcefully this time and before Grey knew it he was being pressed against the wall again, but he hissed at how cold it was.

Curtis quickly picked up his coat again and helped him put it on. He frowned for a moment, there was a perfectly nice mattress there but then Curtis was picking him up and he grinned at the movement. He followed by wrapping his legs around Curtis' waist, feeling his erection press against his ass. It was a little awkward as he fumbled blindly to put the condom on his cock, but he managed in the end, then helped lube up the other man's fingers. It had been a while, so he'd definitely need some preparation.

He'd always known that Curtis was strong, but this... He could easily hold him up, press him against the wall and use one free hand to work him open. As Grey had come to know from him, every touch was gentle, every finger pushed into him was such a slow movement that it drove him crazy with want and need. All he could do were his little gasps and moans, his voice just not working for more. He knew it was all in his head but that had never helped him.

"Ah... ah...."

"This feel good, beautiful?", Curtis asked, his third finger sliding into him, brushing against his prostate.

Grey nodded, head leaning forward to rest against that strong shoulder, gasping against it. The gasp turned into a whine when Curtis pulled out his fingers, and aligned his cock with his entrance. But he waited, of course he did, waiting for Grey's confirmation that it was okay to push in.

He wanted to say it, wanted to just say *yes yes do it already*. For once in his life he wanted to talk and let it all spill out, everything that he felt at this moment and that he felt for *him*. How he changed everything, how he made the world, his world, a brighter place.

His mouth opened, but nothing happened, and his eyes started to fill with tears.

"Hey, Grey, shh...", Curtis was about to pull away, but he tightened his legs around his waist, not letting him go.

Instead he forced himself to focus on this gorgeous man, his city lumberjack, his protector, and nodded.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Again, he nodded, finally able to smile again. He wasn't really sure about how the next day would even be, but he was sure that this was what he wanted. That Curtis was who he wanted.

"All right. I'll push in now."

Grey sighed when he did, when he felt himself opening up around Curtis' cock, when he slowly pushed all the way into him and then paused. It'd been so long since he had experienced this feeling of being filled up, and never had it been this perfect.

Curtis gave an experimental little thrust, and Grey moaned softly, his eyes closed. He raked his fingers over Curtis' chest. He needed more, needed harder, just *more*, and as he usually did, Curtis picked up on the clue. At once he sped up, thrusting quick and deep into him, hitting that sweet spot inside him every time. Now Grey couldn't keep his eyes closed anymore, he needed to look at this gorgeous man in front of him, at those eyes that seemed to pierce him, the mouth hanging open as moans tumbled from his lips.

Soon enough the air was filled with their moans. Curtis' deep and loud ones, Grey's own that were so soft and yet his lover called them beautiful, called him beautiful, always talking to him, always reassuring while never slowing down. He was now clinging to Curtis' broad shoulders, as he took every thrust, as he felt the heat spread through his body, felt the pleasure overwhelming him. He had no idea how to warn Curtis though, just threw his head back, not realizing that he was pressed against the wall. The pain of hitting his head was drowned out by the pleasure he felt as he came, his moan drawn out but then swallowed by Curtis kissing him. A few more thrusts and he was stilling as well, riding out his own orgasm as Grey was still desperately clinging to him.

Both collapsed onto their mattress then, and Grey immediately cuddled close to that broad chest, wanting to cuddle and kiss and to be close to him forever. They were sickening when they weren't working for their survival. Giving each other glances even when they found work for the day, or just in passing, never able to stay apart for too long. Curtis was smiling more often, though oddly enough he was separated from him more often from that day on as well. At first Grey didn't notice, as they often split up to find work or other ways to earn some money. But then he started to miss him, and that was when he realized.

And started to worry. Had he misjudged him? Was he leaving, now that he'd fucked him? He was too scared to ask though, too in love, and let the topic rest for weeks. Then one day, just like any others, Curtis suddenly changed their routine, and asked that he follow him to a street he knew but had never paid much attention to. This was a residential district.

"Close your eyes."

Grey shrugged, wondering why he should do such a thing.

"Please, do you trust me?"

He huffed, but then did as he was told, and let Curtis lead him further down the street, then to the left, and he was told he should go up the stairs. It was awkward with his eyes closed and these unfamiliar surroundings, but with Curtis' help he managed. It seemed to go on forever, then there was a pause and a door opening. A few more steps, and Curtis told him to open his eyes again.

"This is ours, for now."

It was... a room. No, an apartment. It was tiny but... everything was right here. A bed, a small kitchen, there was a bathroom with a shower just for them. Grey's mouth was hanging open at the sight, then he turned to face this wonderful man who had changed his entire life.

"Curtis." 


End file.
